Stuck at his home in Arizona, he doesn't have his Xbox, which, like his wardrobe, is at his East Bay rental, and because of the stress fracture in his right femur, the devoted golfer can't hit the links for at least two months.

"Oh, great, I need a new hobby," the A's sidelined All-Star said by phone from Phoenix.

Two days after finding out that he probably will miss the rest of the regular season because of the injury, Mulder could joke a bit. When he first heard the news from Dr. Doug Freedberg, however, Mulder was stunned. He'd had an MRI exam as a precaution, and the diagnosis had been hip tendinitis; there was no reason to think otherwise.

"I was pretty shocked," Mulder said. "I never expected anything like this --

I'd pitched on it for 2 1/2 weeks. The doctor said if I'd gone any longer, I could have broken my leg.

"Obviously, it's not really like this, but I feel like I let everyone down. This is such a crucial time of year. What's frustrating is that this wasn't because of anything. Nobody knows how it happened, and treatment will do nothing. It's just time -- I have to wait."

His nine complete games, including two in his final three starts, didn't contribute to the injury, Mulder said, noting that his pitch counts were always low. He was pitching in pain this month, though.

"I'm a tough SOB," he said with a laugh. "But that's the thing -- when it's hurting like that and it's this time of the season, you can take more."

Mulder said he'll be on crutches until he can walk without a limp. Unfortunately, his home in Phoenix has stairs, so he's doing a lot of hopping. He does have his parents in town to help him, and he said teammates Mark Ellis and Frank Menechino will send him some clothes and the Xbox.

BRIEFLY: Scott Hatteberg sat out with a sore lower back, so Erubiel Durazo was at first base. Hatteberg said he probably will miss today's game, too. . . . Tim Hudson is still on track to start today at Toronto. He hasn't pitched since being struck on the right hand by a line drive eight days ago. . . . The A's are 18-9 vs. the AL East this season. . . . Catcher Adam Melhuse forgot his chest protector when he went out for the seventh inning. "Mark Ellis at second was pointing at my chest, and I was like, 'Yeah, I've got my jersey on, ' " Melhuse said, smiling. "The umpire (C.B. Bucknor) was laughing." . . . John DePodesta, father of A's assistant general manager Paul DePodesta, threw out the first pitch at SkyDome on Saturday. His company, Primus Telecommunications, is a sponsor of the Blue Jays.